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UK authorities deny prototype intercept databaseAccording to the U.K. Home Office, no prototype database has been built by either the Home Office or the intelligence services, to test whether all U.K. citizens' communications information can be stored. Source - ZDNet Asia Thanks to Brian Honan for this link.
AU: Surveillance questions in Victoria raise issues for us all.The Victorian Law Reform Commission has released a Discussion Paper on Surveillance in Public Places. Chairperson of the commission, Neil Rees, said “surveillance affects all Victorians whether we are shopping, catching public transport, driving on major roads, or attending a sporting event”. Source - Open and Shut
Fusion Centers Under Fire in Texas and New MexicoCivil libertarians are pushing for legal limits on personal data law enforcement organizations can collect after a Texas fusion center's bulletin singled out Muslim and antiwar groups for direct scrutiny. Source - Security Management
How To Celebrate Privacy Day (And How Not To)Wednesday, Jan. 28, has been designated International Privacy Day, and I'm still not sure how to celebrate. Should I invite all of my friends and family over, then go in the bathroom, lock the door, and make an entry in my personal diary? Or maybe we should all put on funny hats and go outside with noisemakers, screaming, "It's none of your friggin' business!!" Ah, those holiday traditions. Seriously, though, I'm a little confused. Who is this international day of observance for? It can't be for private citizens -- we already know the value of our privacy and how much we treasure it. If anybody's going to celebrate my privacy, I wish it could be the other parties out there who seem to disregard it on every other day of the year. Source - Dark Reading
BEYOND FINGERPRINTS: Our New Identification SytemPalm prints are taken from the scene of a diffused roadside bomb in Iraq. Later, an individual entering a New York airport is arrested on an unrelated charge. A full set of prints are taken during the booking process and submitted to our Next Generation Identification (NGI) system. A positive ID connects the man to the roadside bomb. A ski mask-wearing bank robber leaves with his loot, and witnesses tell police they noticed a red skull tattoo on his hand. A search of NGI’s Interstate Photo System for a red skull tattoo provides a potential candidate list that could ultimately lead to the identification of the bank robber. Both cases are hypothetical, but in the not-too-distant future these scenarios could really happen…thanks to the ongoing development of the Next Generation Identification system—a logical evolution of our current Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). That evolution will include not only enhanced fingerprint capabilities but also other forms of biometric identification like palm prints, iris scans, facial imaging, scars, marks, and tattoos—in one searchable system.Source - FBI
Obama Reverses Himself on Abortion Policy ReversalThe plan was for President Barack Obama to reverse the so-called Mexico City policy restricting funding to international family planning organizations that perform, sponsor, or counsel abortions overseas on his first or second day in office. But the plan did not survive contact with the Oval Office. President Obama reportedly will delay a decision on reversing the policy, which was first put in place by President Ronald Reagan and alternately reversed and reinstated by successive Democratic and Republican administrations, until at least Friday. Or he could sell to have Congress overturn the abortion funding ban as a part of upcoming legislation. Source - news.aol.com
OH: Officials in a Cleveland suburb say they were unaware of a local renter identification requirement that has drawn a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union.Officials in a Cleveland suburb say they were unaware of a local renter identification requirement that has drawn a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union. Under a law on the books in Maple Heights, landlords must submit personal information and photos of their tenants.Source - Newark Advocate
Future of Privacy Forum Issues Recommendations for the New Presidential AdministrationThe Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) today proposed seven privacy recommendations to the upcoming administration. FPF Co-chairs Jules Polonetsky and Christopher Wolf applaud President-Elect Obama for recognizing that the use and development of technology is key to the future of our country. FPF urges the President-elect to also appoint a Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) in order to recognize that responsible use of data by businesses and government is critical to the economy, to protecting civil liberties and to ensuring public safety. The Future of Privacy Forum recommends the following for the Obama Administration:
1. Appoint a Chief Privacy Officer to Promote Fair Information Practices in the Public and Private Sectors Source - RedOrbit
Intel Cash Register Knows Who You Are, What You WantAsking the question: “Do you know who I am?” is not likely to score you any points at the store, even in these trying economic times. But Intel wants to change that with a proof of concept cash register that knows not only who you are, but also what you want. The prototype till, to be unveiled Monday at the National Retail Federation show in New York, aims to bring Amazon-style recommendations to the meatspace market. Source - Wired Thanks to Rob Douglas for sending this along.
Privacy Legislation in the 111th CongressThe 111th Congress opened this week and bills have been introduced or re-introduced that may affect your privacy. As we have done in the past, PogoWasRight.org will continue to provide a list of bills that have been proposed that may affect your privacy. By clicking on the linked bill numbers, you can find the text of the bill and all Congressional actions concerning the bill. Bills proposed in the 111th Congress can be found here, and are linked from the "Other Privacy Sections" block on our home page. Legislation proposed in the109th and 110th Congress are also linked from that block. Bills relating to data protection or breach disclosures/notification can be found on the companion site, Office of Inadequate Security, which has its own bill-tracking page.
UK e-mail law 'attack on rights'Rules forcing internet companies to keep details of every e-mail sent in the UK are a waste of money and an attack on civil liberties, say critics. From March all internet service providers (ISPs) will by law have to keep information about every e-mail sent or received in the UK for a year. Human rights group Liberty says it is worried what will happen next. [...] Reports have suggested the government has even bigger plans for data retention called the Interception Modernisation Programme. It could involve one central database, gathering details on every text sent, e-mail sent, phone call made and website visited. Consultation on the plans is due to begin later this year. Source - BBC
CA: Consumer Protection Bills Going into Effect on January 1, 2009New laws in effect in California include: Source - California Progress Report Rebecca Herold also reminds us that the following laws also go into effect in California:
NY: Security Breach Found In Child Abuse RecordsNew York State Inspector General Joseph Fisch says he’s uncovered serious deficiencies at the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (Register) and is recommending legislative and departmental changes to improve confidentiality. The Register is overseen by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). In a 33-page report issued Monday, Fisch revealed several findings related to a breach of the Register’s confidentiality. Also known as the “Hotline,” the Register receives calls reporting alleged child abuse. Such reports are confidential under state law. The Inspector General’s investigation revolves around a Suffolk County father whose underage daughter was wrongly listed on the Register as allegedly involved in child abuse. When the father attempted to clear his daughter’s name, he encountered bureaucratic hurdles and unexplained delays. The father’s name was withheld from the Inspector General’s report to protect his confidentiality. The Inspector General found that the father likely violated state law by improperly obtaining a confidential list of Hotline callers directly from Verizon by claiming to be a state employee. He then threatened to release the confidential records and demanded cash payment in exchange for the return of the records from OCFS and the Governor’s Office, possibly violating additional state laws against coercion or larceny. Source - North Country Gazette
WA: Debit-card thieves still on the loose (follow-up)Police still haven’t caught up with the scam artists who made off with half a million dollars this summer from debit card information stolen at two Pierce County gas stations. Local agencies are coordinating with police in California and federal agents to stop what they believe is a crime spree that spans the West Coast. The patient and wily thieves are believed to have left a wake of at least 675 victims and $800,000 in losses, according to police and news accounts. Source - News Tribune
Your Spying iPhoneCareful, iPhone users: Your smart phone may be smarter than you think. On Thursday researchers at Finnish cybersecurity firm F-Secure said they have spotted the first known instance of iPhone "spyware" called Mobile Spy, a piece of commercial software that sells for $99 a year. Mobile Spy developer Retina-X Studios says the software can invisibly track the call logs, text messages and even the GPS data of any iPhone it's installed on, allowing the eavesdropper to track the user's whereabouts on a Web site that hosts the stolen data. Source - Forbes |
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